The Existential Hope Podcast

Having an AI boyfriend or girlfriend might seem creepy, but what if it helped you get better at human relationships? In this episode, we talk with David Eagleman, a professor of neuroscience at Stanford, bestselling author, and science communicator. We discuss how AI and other technologies can help us become better humans – wiser, kinder and more empathetic, not just more productive. We get a neuroscientist’s take on how human and artificial intelligence interact, including:How to use AI to better understand other people and improve our relationships.Using debate AIs in schools to make younger generations better at critical thinking and grasping both sides of an argument.Is AI making our lives too easy by removing the friction we need to learn?Technologies that could expand what’s possible with our brain, from mind uploading to brain-to-brain communication.Timestamps:0:00 Cold open1:38 How David Eagleman became a neuroscientist4:46 How malleable is the brain?6:29 Can AI make us better humans? The Reddit debate bot experiment11:00 AI relationships and becoming better at dating real people14:24 Using AI to hear his late father's voice again18:26 Mind uploading and digital immortality23:27 What technology could make us more kind and empathetic24:04 How AI could revolutionize debate education and critical thinking28:30 Why AI needs a "tough love" mode to help us grow30:17 Does AI making life easier rob us of useful friction for learning?34:21 Why brain-to-brain communication probably won't help us understand each other37:29 Could neurotechnology let us experience the world as another species?41:58 The current state of neuroscience and where it's heading48:05 How to get started if you're inspired by this conversationOn the Existential Hope Podcast hosts Allison Duettmann and Beatrice Erkers from the Foresight Institute invite scientists, founders, and philosophers for in-depth conversations on positive, high-tech futures. Full transcript, listed resources, and more: https://www.existentialhope.com/podcastsFollow on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What would the world look like if the poorest country was as rich as Switzerland is today? It turns out we could actually see it happen by 2100, and with an economic growth that is similar to the one we have been experiencing for the past 20 years.In this episode, we talk with Marc Canal, Senior Fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute, and co-author of the book A Century of Plenty. We unpack what a hundred years of data tells us about human progress, and map out the steps to an ambitious scenario we can build by the end of the century.We discuss:How much the world has actually changed since 1925: from one in five children dying before age five in Spain, to life expectancy growing by 40 years globally.What it would take to make today’s Swiss living standards the world’s floor by 2100 (while richer countries grow far beyond it), from energy efficiency to birth rates and geopolitics.How data shows economic growth is actually good for the climate and for human happiness.Why achieving a prosperous world currently depends more on our collective belief that progress is possible than on resource constraints.How you can thrive in an AI world, where 57% of work hours can be automated, by leaning into the “messy” jobs.Timestamps:0:00 - Cold open1:54 - Why the McKinsey Global Institute wrote “A Century of Plenty” 5:20 - What was the world like in 1925? 10:04 - The most surprising stats from 100 years of progress16:03 - Defining the “empowerment line” vs. the poverty line19:30 - Projecting 2100: can we make Switzerland the global "floor"? 22:26 - The 5 conditions for achieving a world of plenty26:14 - Can we grow the economy without sacrificing the environment?28:23 - Economic growth vs. climate change: mitigation and adaptation 34:05 - What are the biggest challenges to the “progress machine”? 36:30 - The demographic crisis, and solving falling fertility rates45:20 - Will AI speed up human innovation?48:21 - Geopolitics: is the world really de-globalizing? 52:30 - The crisis of hope: why are we so pessimistic?56:26 - How different nations reach the frontier of progress58:49 - Building a new culture of growth1:01:09 - Does economic progress actually make us happier?1:05:39 - How you can help make a century of plenty probableOn the Existential Hope Podcast hosts Allison Duettmann and Beatrice Erkers from the Foresight Institute invite scientists, founders, and philosophers for in-depth conversations on positive, high-tech futures. Full transcript, listed resources, and more: https://www.existentialhope.com/podcastsFollow on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To make the future go well, we might not need a perfect model for its end state, or an abstract philosophical theory to guide us. Can your own sense of “the right thing to do” actually help make the world better?In this episode we talk with SJ Beard, researcher at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, and author of the book “Existential Hope”.Some of the topics we discuss:How to shift our focus from "preventing the end of the world" to actively building a future worth living.Why aiming for a “happy ever after” state of the world might be dangerous, and why improving the world one generation at a time is less likely to backfire.Relying on our own sense of “the right thing to do” as a practical guide to make the world better.Why decisions about AI and global risk need input from a broad mix of people and their real-world experiences, not just experts at the top.Why building AI with compassion and curiosity about human values may be safer than giving it a rigid list of rules to follow.Timestamps:[01:31] SJ’s background in philosophy and existential risk[02:02] Why write a book on existential hope?[04:43] Defining existential hope, and its relationship with existential risks and existential anxiety[11:09] Human agency without the guilt[13:59] Why there are no truly "natural" disasters[16:49] Why we shouldn’t try to build a perfect utopia[19:05] Protopia: is iterative improvement enough?[22:19] Defining progress: what does it mean to "get better"?[26:13] Protopia vs. viatopia: setting goals and achieving a great future[29:48] Existential safety as a collective project[35:06] Using participatory tools to make global decisions[36:32] Making existential hope reasonably demanding[40:06] Can we achieve systemic change in a tech-focused world?[46:00] Concrete socio-technical projects for AI safety[49:02] Aligning AI by building its character[51:45] The importance of history in building a good future[54:24] Key 17th-century ideas that are shaping modern society[58:20] Cultivating "humanity as a virtue"[01:04:37] Lessons from nuclear near-misses: the example of Petrov[01:09:20] The trade-offs of a humanistic, bottom-up approach to decision-making[01:12:16] Literacy vs. orality: how ideas become simplified[01:16:45] Meme culture and the transmission of deep context[01:18:48] How writing the book changed SJ’s mind[01:21:38] SJ Beard’s vision for existential hopeOn the Existential Hope Podcast hosts Allison Duettmann and Beatrice Erkers from the Foresight Institute invite scientists, founders, and philosophers for in-depth conversations on positive, high-tech futures. Full transcript, listed resources, and more: https://www.existentialhope.com/podcastsFollow on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anastasia Gamick, co‑founder and CEO of Convergent Research, builds startup‑style teams to create public‑good scientific capabilities. She discusses Focused Research Organizations, high‑impact projects like synapse mapping and provably safe software, prioritizing defensive bio and AI tooling, and how scientists can find and fund work that matters most for an AI future.

Our fast-paced world isn’t spinning out of our control; we’re actually becoming more capable of steering it than ever before. Throughout history, technological progress has expanded human agency, that is our ability to choose our destiny rather than being subject to the whims of nature.Jason Crawford, founder of the Roots of Progress Institute, joins the podcast to discuss The Techno-Humanist Manifesto, his book exploring his philosophy of progress centered around human life and wellbeing. In our conversation, we dive into the core arguments of the manifesto:How we are more in control of our lives than ever beforeWhy we should reframe the goal of “stopping climate change” into “controlling climate change” and work toward installing a “thermostat for the Earth”The value of nature and its interaction with humanityAllowing ourselves to celebrate human achievement and industrial civilizationThe concept of “solutionism”, as a kind of optimism that acknowledges risks while keeping a proactive attitude towards solving problemsWhy two common fears around the slowing of progress – that we could run out of natural resources or new ideas – are actually unfoundedThe possibility that AI represents a transformation as significant as the Industrial Revolution or the invention of agricultureHow to rebuild a culture of progress in the 21st century, from reforming scientific institutions to creating new, non-dystopian science fictionChapters:[00:00] Cold open[01:30] Intro: Jason Crawford and the Techno-Humanist Manifesto[04:10] Defining progress as the expansion of human agency[06:16] How to use our newfound agency to live a meaningful life[10:07] Climate control: installing a “thermostat” for the Earth[13:26] Anthropocentrism and the value of nature[19:41] Ode to man: celebrating human achievement[20:53] Solutionism: believing in our problem-solving abilities to tackle risks[26:26] Why pessimism sounds smart but misses the solution space[31:29] The myth of finite natural resources and the power of knowledge[34:27] Why we are getting better at finding ideas faster than they get harder to find[39:03] The Intelligence Age: a new mode of production[41:19] Amplifying human agency in an AI-driven world[43:09] Developing a healthy relationship with AI and attention[46:28] The culture of progress and why we soured on the future[50:10] Building the infrastructure for a global progress movement[53:54] A 20-year vision for progress studies in the mainstream[57:33] High-leverage regulations for progress: from nuclear to supersonic flight[58:57] Jason Crawford’s existential hope visionOn the Existential Hope Podcast hosts Allison Duettmann and Beatrice Erkers from the Foresight Institute invite scientists, founders, and philosophers for in-depth conversations on positive, high-tech futures. Full transcript, listed resources, and more: https://www.existentialhope.com/podcastsFollow on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elle Griffin, a writer and researcher focused on utopian futures, explores the challenge of envisioning ideal societies. She reflects on the influence of classic utopian literature and discusses innovative concepts like tax autonomy for states, a la carte federations, and the Mondragon model of worker cooperatives. Elle also addresses the governance of AI, advocating for employee control to ensure ethical practices. With her insights, she highlights how we can build a wiser, more equitable future using existing examples and creative thinking.

Andrew Critch, an AI safety researcher and founder of innovative tools like NotADoctor.ai, dives into the crucial question of what we will do with AGI. He argues that it’s not just about its arrival but our choices that will dictate its impact. Critch reveals that AGI may be friendly and suggests focusing on shared moral values over perfectionism. He underlines the importance of creating helpful AI products today while advocating for cultural change through practical solutions rather than endless debate.

Anna Gát, founder of the Interintellect community, discusses her vision for creating spaces that foster meaningful conversations without political polarization. She shares her rules for successful gatherings and the importance of giving communities a 'job' to thrive. Anna critiques 'complaint culture' and highlights the need for optimistic narratives. The conversation also explores how AI can enhance social connections rather than contribute to isolation, promoting a future where collaborative engagement prevails.

Isabelle Boemeke is a model-turned-science communicator and the author of Rad Future, advocating for nuclear energy. She sheds light on nuclear's misunderstood reputation and discusses its safety compared to fossil fuels. Isabelle reflects on her journey to becoming a 'nuclear influencer' and critiques the degrowth movement, emphasizing the importance of abundant energy for development. She also explores youth pessimism, the impact of automation, and the need for better communication and aesthetics in promoting nuclear energy.

What if the biggest driver of economic growth isn’t new technology, but simply fixing what’s broke, housing, transport, and energy?Sam Bowman, editor of Works in Progress, joins us to explore how smarter cities, faster transit, and abundant energy could unlock human potential on an unprecedented scale. We discuss why restrictive zoning laws keep millions from opportunity, how beauty and design shape public attitudes toward progress, and why rediscovering growth could restore optimism in the West.Sam also shares what he’s learned from success stories around the world, from Houston’s neighborhood-led zoning reforms to Madrid’s low-cost metro expansion, and why he believes rebuilding belief in progress is just as important as building the future itself.This special episode was recorded live at the 2025 Progress Conference, hosted by our friends at Roots of Progress. We’re grateful to them for bringing together so many thinkers reimagining how humanity can keep moving forward—and for making conversations like this one possible!On the Existential Hope Podcast hosts Allison Duettmann and Beatrice Erkers from the Foresight Institute invite scientists, founders, and philosophers for in-depth conversations on positive, high-tech futures. Full transcript, listed resources, and more: https://www.existentialhope.com/podcastsFollow on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.